University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) vs U of A

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of College Park, Maryland, and Tucson, Arizona, home to the esteemed University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) and the University of Arizona (UA), respectively. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a diverse range of programs, they possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. UMD boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a larger and more diverse student body, while UA's lower acceptance rate indicates a more selective admissions process. Explore the nuances of each institution, from their popular majors and graduation rates to the unique experiences they offer, by delving into the comprehensive comparison table provided. Discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, setting the stage for an enriching and transformative college journey.

	University of Arizona	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Tucson, Arizona	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	52.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $85	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1120 - 1370	1330 - 1510
ACT range	21 - 29	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	48,065	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	41,946	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	8,436	6,072
Yield rate	20.1%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,136 Out of state: $54,658	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$17,242	$17,146
Tuition	In state: $11,299 Out of state: $35,821	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,400 Meal plan: $5,050	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $13,790	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,845	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $20,814	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	37,434 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	10,840 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	48.8%	29.5%
International students	6.5%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,036	11,846
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington Illinois Colorado	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.3%	87.7%
Dropout rate	14.3%	4.0%
Transferred out	19.6%	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,673 Year 2: $123,527 Year 3: $127,192 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,426 Year 2: $117,473 Year 3: $122,962 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,630 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $104,908 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,116 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $98,461 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,677 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $98,271 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $96,308 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,806 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $89,884 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,657 Year 2: $73,035 Year 3: $87,557 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,627 Year 2: $79,199 Year 3: $86,387 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,284 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $83,742	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

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